The invention relates to headbands and more specifically to one that has been designed to relieve migraine headache pain.
Headaches are a very common disorder affecting millions of people worldwide. A common cause of headaches, concluded by present day scientific research, is dilation of the blood vessels of the head and scalp. Another common source of headaches is tension of the muscles of the head and neck. There are numerous medications on the market used to treat headaches. While medications are often effective, it is not without risk do to toxic side effects and/or the possibility of adverse reaction. Many patients therefore, opt to using drug-free types of treatments.
Over the years, various devices have been developed in order to provide headache relief. The Murphy U.S. Pat. No. 383,899, is directed to an electro-therapeutic battery having a length of insulated conducting wire wrapped in several coils and installed in the headband lining of a hat. The Dieudonne U.S. Pat. No. 910,362 is directed to a remedial electric head band that has been designed to pass around the head and act upon the forehead and temples.
The Hanke U.S. Pat. No. 1,823,686 is directed to a headband that may be moistened by water or other suitable liquid to provide a cooling effect for the band which is then placed on a person's head.
The Conrow U.S. Pat. No. 4,632,104 is directed to a device for relieving headaches by applying tension to the ear from the forward part of the skull or cranium so as to pull the ear and bring the temporal bone on which it is carried into external rotation to relieve pressure on the blood vessels and nerves carried within the temporal bone and other parts of the skull.
The Matthews U.S. Pat. No. 4,944,289 is directed to a headache relief headband having an annular strip of material having a channel defined by an outer surface and an inner surface. The plurality of pressure inducers are adapted to be inserted in this channel to apply pressure to pre-selective points on the cranium.
The Ioan U.S. Pat. No. 5,792,174 is directed to a natural headache reliever using acupuncture points. It is a cap like device having an outer membrane and an inner membrane that would be placed on the head of the wearer. The membranes meet and are attached at their margins, thus forming an inner potential space between the membranes. The inner membrane contains a plurality of immobile protrusions at a distance of between 10 mm and 20 mm apart. Direct pressure will be applied by the protrusion on different acupuncture points on the scalp and upper posterior neck. A pump is used to create the pressure by introducing air into the potential space between the inner and outer membranes.
The Vijayan U.S. Pat. No. 5,419,758 discloses a headband having a strong elastic band with a Velcro attachment at one end so that it may be applied tightly around the head to compress dilated blood vessels in order to provide relief of migraine headache pain. Additional firm rubber discs are inserted between the band and the scalp to direct more localized pressure over areas with more severe pain.
It is an object of the invention to provide a novel headband assembly that can be used for relieving headaches.
It is also an object of the invention to provide a novel headband assembly for headaches that is economical to manufacture and market.
It is another object of the invention to provide a novel headband assembly for headaches that doesn't require an electric battery for its power source.
It is an additional object of the invention to provide a novel headband assembly for headache relief that is comfortable to wear.